Now according to Cervelo issues are arising with the Campy Super Record Gruppo on the new S3. The Campy Super Record on the S3 may or not fit. It will fit some S3 frames and not fit other S3 frames. It is apparently luck of the draw. Cervelo also states that most Campy wheels will not fit the S3. After this I am giving up on the S3. I will wait until they get the issues worked out. Below is the Cervelo email to me and my earlier email to them asking questions.

Hello Paul,

Tolerances on the Campy Super Record Groupo are very tight. Some frames do not have issues and some do. The best thing to do is have the shop you purchase your S3 from test the frame before they sell it to you. In doing that you will ensure you components will fit before you pay for the bike.

As for the wheels it all depends on the hub. It is impossible for us to test every wheel, from every company, from every year. If you measure from the axle lock nut to the outer most surface of the non drive side spoke, at a measurement of 22 mm forward from the axle center, anything less than 30 mm might be an issue. Still the rider’s weight and riding style will play a factor as both affect how much the wheel will flex. Most Campy wheels are not compatible with the S3 however.

I am in the process of placing an order for a Cervelo S3. Is a braze-on front dérailleur the correct one to use? How well does the Campy Super Record Gruppo work with the S3? Do the Edge Composite Wheels 38 Clincher, 41 mm, fit the S3? Thanks for making great bikes.

You'd think this would merit mention on the Cervelo web page http://www.cervelo.com/bikes.aspx?bike=S32009 , along with the Wheel Compatibility section of that page. Note to self - don't buy one of these, and don't be too quick to pull the trigger on any Cervelo.

My "weightweenie" machine is based on an R3 frame. For a long time I thought Cervélo was an intelligent and forward thinking company.

Now their flagship frame can't take Super Record and Boras. That's a joke.!

Worse, it seems some frames will fit the groupset, some won't. As if the frames are coming out of the factory in different shapes, like a British car from the 1970s where sometimes the doors wouldn't close properly. They should be very embarrassed.

I'm all for an aero frame that pushes new limits. But the performance gain from building a frame with tolerances so tight that it can't take SR, over a frame that can just take SR, are marginal and in reality, probably belong in the marketing department.

No matter how aero or light a frame is, what good is it if it doesn't take a groupset or wheels? How can a company release a product but not test whether it fits a major groupset? Talk about a mess.

So far I only have experience with Addict/CR1 with the SR gruppo.
The Addict has a problem with 13 cogs on the outside (won't fit) and 12 only just. everything else fits perfect (including every wheelset).

Since the R3 and addict are very alike I think that the cogset will be the problem. But since the addict has nog problem with wheels imho. the choice would be easy (if you don't stand on the "cervelo" image)

I'm so glad I didn't buy a Cervelo. I bought into their great Palmares, (but that could have something to do with supplying bikes to one of the top teams) but when I looked at an R3 frame IMHO the finish was poor and didn't warrant the price tag.

I'm an ex-owner of a R3. While the ride quality was pretty ok, the finish of product left much to be desired. The area around the derailluer hanger was really badly put together. You could see the rough edges around the hanger and the jagged paint job. Really not what I expected for a $3000 frameset. Needless to say, I sold it off after 2 months for a Pinarello Prince. Cervelo do make good bikes but they really need to work on their QC if they're charging such prices.

This is all very disappointing from a company like Cervelo. I had the same experience when I found that the current Campag chainset wouldn't fit a P2. Given that those issues arose with the that generation of frames, you'd think they would have taken it into account for their next generation of frames.

I am now also leaning toward the Pinarello Prince rather than a Cervelo product. Why buy a well-designed, expensive road bike with poor build quality? This is coming from an architect who admires what Cervelo is trying to do and appreciates their quest for innovation.

Well, I for one an pleased and proud of my 2007 R3 and do think it's finish and build quality justifies it's price point.

While I'm very happy with my R3 finish and quality, I no longer think any carbon fiber frame justifies a $3000 price point. I've ridden many $1000 frames that are just as well finished and ride just as well. And these days, it seems that the $1000 frame companies are trying harder.

At this point, the Cervelo needs to revamp the molds on the S3. Listing wheels that don't fit, and now admitting construction quality is so variable they can't guarantee a crankset from any one company will fit, in inexcusable for a frame at any price. This will only mean future problems for S3 owners as new wheels and groups come out, basically, everything will have an *.

If this were Motobecane or Scattante or even Trek, we'd all be arrogantly laughing.

No one has explained what SR has to do with the fit issue. There should not be any dimensional difference between SR and the other 11 speed groups. SR, Record and Chorus just have minor material changes to reduce weight.

There are no 13T first cogs with 11 speed, just 11T or 12T. The first cog position should not be significantly different than 10 speed, since the two cassettes only differ in length by about 1mm and the additional length is all shifted closer to the spokes as best I can measure.

Last edited by DaveS on Thu Jan 08, 2009 5:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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